E24 - Meiji 11, May 14th
Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:04] ---
I see.
[00:06] ---
So the mastermind
behind Hajime Saito was you.
[00:10] ---
Former Revolutionary warrior
from Satsuma...
[00:13] ---
and Home Minister
of the Meiji government...
[00:15] ---
Toshimichi Okubo.
[00:22] ---
That said, I have no idea who that is!
[00:26] ---
Of course little kids
who don't read newspapers wouldn't know.
[00:30] ---
Alongside Takamori Saigo
and Kogoro Katsura,
[00:34] ---
he's the last of
the Great Trio of the Revolution,
[00:36] ---
who achieved the most
in the Meiji Revolution.
[00:39] ---
The leader of the Home Ministry
that controls the entire government.
[00:43] ---
In other words, he's the minister who sits
at the top of national power in Japan.
[00:47] ---
Sorry for the rough handling.
[00:50] ---
But there was a need for us
to know your current strength.
[00:56] ---
Will you listen to us?
[00:59] ---
Yeah, even if by force.
[01:03] ---
Th-This has turned into a huge ordeal.
[01:06] ---
I didn't think someone as big as Okubo
from the Home Ministry would show up.
[01:10] ---
It's no time to be talkin'
about Battosai anymore.
[01:15] ---
Hmph. What a wet blanket.
[01:18] ---
I'll have to leave settling this score
for our next opportunity.
[01:21] ---
Looks like someone escaped death.
[01:23] ---
Yeah, you did.
[01:30] ---
Saito!
[01:31] ---
Operations report!
[01:33] ---
Kenshin Himura is completely useless.
[01:37] ---
However, Himura Battosai
seems to do fairly well.
[01:41] ---
That is all!
[01:43] ---
Sheesh, that guy.
[01:45] ---
He's the best spy
in the Metropolitan Police.
[01:48] ---
But I just can't figure out
what the Wolf of Mibu is thinking about!
[01:52] ---
Himura, come with me.
[01:54] ---
Stop daydreaming.
[01:56] ---
I'm not the only one
that got roped into—
[02:01] ---
Kenshin?!
[02:06] ---
I'm not the only one roped
into this situation, that I'm not.
[02:11] ---
Everyone here will listen
to what you have to say.
[02:14] ---
"I"...
[02:16] ---
Oh...
[02:17] ---
I'm so glad! You're back
to your normal self, Kenshin!
[02:21] ---
Oro...
[02:23] ---
- Miss Megumi, hurry!
- Sir Okubo...
[02:24] ---
- What are you doing, you idiot!
- Let's do as he says.
[02:27] ---
Right now, I need Himura's power
more than anything else.
[02:29] ---
Kenshin!
[02:30] ---
How long are you gonna be
a stupidly powerful girl?
[02:30] ---
Oro...
[02:32] ---
You say that, but...
[04:03] ---
EPISODE 24:
MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[04:10] ---
Himura, I'll cut to the chase.
[04:14] ---
Shishio is active
behind the scenes in Kyoto.
[04:18] ---
You went so straight to the point
that I don't get it, Mr. Okubo.
[04:22] ---
Who the hell is this Shishio guy?
[04:23] ---
Hey! Watch your tongue!
[04:26] ---
Makoto Shishio.
[04:28] ---
After I accepted the role
of mercenary swordsman
[04:31] ---
and came out into the limelight
from the shadows,
[04:33] ---
another Revolutionary warrior from Choshu
took over the role of Shadow Hitokiri.
[04:39] ---
You could say he is the successor
to Hitokiri Battosai, that he is.
[04:44] ---
As he completely stayed in the shadows,
very few know of his existence.
[04:50] ---
Even I, his predecessor, have never
met him in person, that I haven't.
[04:54] ---
But what does this mean, that is?
[04:56] ---
I had heard Shisho died ten years ago
during the Boshin War.
[05:03] ---
I see.
[05:05] ---
Shishio didn't die.
[05:07] ---
His existence was eradicated
by his comrades, that it was.
[05:12] ---
Secretly snuffing out
the one executing shady deeds
[05:15] ---
that can't ever be leaked
for our own safety.
[05:19] ---
Back in those days,
it wasn't anything unusual.
[05:23] ---
Makoto Shishio had just as much talent
as you in sword skill and in quick wits.
[05:30] ---
But he was also a dangerous one
[05:32] ---
with incomprehensible levels of ambition
and desire for domination.
[05:37] ---
He accepted the role of Shadow Hitokiri
[05:39] ---
only to display his talent
and existence to the world.
[05:43] ---
Some of the assassinations
Shishio committed
[05:45] ---
would overturn the Meiji government
from its foundation.
[05:50] ---
If we were to ring in the new era
with Shishio still alive,
[05:53] ---
he would take advantage of such weakness
and become arrogant
[05:57] ---
We might even end up
with the entirety of Japan
[05:59] ---
becoming a plaything for just Shishio.
[06:01] ---
That's why you killed him in the chaos
of the Boshin War, that you did?
[06:07] ---
Right. We definitely killed him.
[06:10] ---
We even had oil poured on his corpse
and lit it on fire.
[06:14] ---
However, even with his entire body
engulfed in flames,
[06:18] ---
Makoto Shishio was still alive.
[06:21] ---
And now he has taken a multitude
of treasonous subordinates under his wing
[06:25] ---
to create a giant army
[06:27] ---
and has made a base in Kyoto to plot a war
that splits this nation in two as revenge.
[06:35] ---
Countless squads we sent in
to take him down have been eradicated.
[06:39] ---
You are the only one left
that we can count on.
[06:43] ---
It's for the people
of this country, Himura.
[06:47] ---
I want you to head to Kyoto once more.
[06:52] ---
In other words...
[06:54] ---
are you saying you want Kenshin
to assassinate Makoto Shishio?
[06:59] ---
That's what it would mean, yes.
[07:01] ---
We will pay more than enough in reward.
[07:04] ---
On top of that,
we will go outside the law
[07:06] ---
and overlook
all of your previous illegal activities.
[07:08] ---
For instance, we can acquit Megumi Takani
from her illicit sales of opium.
[07:13] ---
You've got to be kidding me.
[07:15] ---
If you're going to use me for negotiation,
turning me into shackles for Ken-san,
[07:19] ---
I would rather choose the gallows.
[07:24] ---
Basically, all of this
is because of your nasty doings, right?
[07:29] ---
And you want Kenshin
to clean up your mess?
[07:32] ---
Ain't you askin' for a bit much?
[07:34] ---
Ignorant youngsters keep out of this!
[07:37] ---
The Meiji government
is on the brink of extinction!
[07:39] ---
Filthy governments
can go ahead and become extinct.
[07:43] ---
Though, I don't like how people living
ordinary lives are troubled by all of it.
[07:47] ---
Without the prosperity
of the Meiji government,
[07:50] ---
the people cannot be at peace, idiot!
[07:52] ---
And that's where you guys
are being conceited!
[07:55] ---
If you keep spouting nonsense,
[07:56] ---
- I'll arrest you!
- Try me, Mr. Huge Forehead!
[07:58] ---
I'm just a kid,
so I don't get it too well.
[08:02] ---
But I can understand
that if things had gone wrong,
[08:05] ---
Kenshin may have been eradicated
just like Shishio.
[08:08] ---
Both then and now,
[08:10] ---
you guys are assassinating
and eradicating for your own purposes.
[08:14] ---
All you old guys are a bit crazy.
[08:18] ---
Sir Okubo.
[08:20] ---
I understand that you are all in need
of Hitokiri Battosai right now.
[08:25] ---
But the current Kenshin
is a rurouni who refuses to kill.
[08:29] ---
We will never, ever
let Kenshin go to Kyoto!
[08:37] ---
Are you all stupid?! Do you not understand
just how dire the situation—
[08:40] ---
Stop it, Kawaji.
[08:45] ---
Think about it for a week.
[08:48] ---
In one week, on May 14th,
I will come again to hear your answer.
[08:58] ---
Mr. Okubo.
[09:01] ---
You have gotten quite haggard
compared to a decade ago.
[09:06] ---
It is far more difficult to establish
a new era than to break an old one.
[09:12] ---
That's what this means.
[09:14] ---
I'm looking forward
to a favorable reply from you.
[09:25] ---
Toshimichi Okubo?!
[09:27] ---
I'm gonna bail and head to Shanghai,
where it's safe!
[09:30] ---
Got that?
[09:31] ---
There is a safer place to escape to
than Shanghai.
[09:38] ---
A place called hell.
[09:42] ---
It seems all you Imperialists think you
created the Meiji Era all by yourselves.
[09:48] ---
But we on the Shogunate side
risked our lives
[09:50] ---
for the foundation of Meiji
through the role of the losers.
[09:55] ---
I'm obedient to the government as a spy
[09:58] ---
so I can eradicate
the mites that feed upon Meiji
[10:01] ---
as an obligation of the Shinsengumi
who lived on into the Meiji Era.
[10:06] ---
Okubo or otherwise,
if they drown in self-interest
[10:09] ---
and bring calamities
to the people of this nation,
[10:12] ---
I will slay them under the doctrine
of Evil-Immediate-Slaughter.
[10:15] ---
W-Wait. I can pay as much as you want.
[10:18] ---
You can own a dog with food.
[10:21] ---
You can own people with money.
[10:23] ---
But nobody can own
the Wolves of Mibu.
[10:35] ---
A wolf is a wolf.
[10:37] ---
The Shinsengumi is the Shinsengumi.
[10:40] ---
And a hitokiri is a hitokiri.
[10:46] ---
Right, Battosai?
[10:50] ---
RUROUNI KENSHIN
[10:54] ---
MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[11:02] ---
There. Spotless!
[11:04] ---
- Hey.
- Oro!
[11:07] ---
I thought I was going to die, that I did.
[11:09] ---
This isn't time
to be leisurely doing your laundry.
[11:12] ---
What's your answer gonna be?
[11:14] ---
I say don't do such a shady deal.
[11:17] ---
The leader of the government
that is addicted to personal gain
[11:21] ---
can't be trusted at all.
[11:24] ---
Sano, you really detest
the Meiji government
[11:26] ---
from the bottom of your heart,
that you do.
[11:28] ---
I do. Got a problem?
[11:31] ---
No. But if Sir Okubo was one that would
be acting only out of self-interest,
[11:37] ---
Saito would have slain him long ago,
that he would have.
[11:41] ---
That punk officer would have?
[11:43] ---
He's a government dog, ain't he?
[11:46] ---
Before he fought me, Saito definitely
uttered the word "justice."
[11:51] ---
One who has sunken to become a dog
in both mind and body
[11:56] ---
would never utter such a word.
[11:58] ---
That man is still
one of the Wolves of Mibu to this day.
[12:02] ---
He bares his fangs
of Evil-Immediate-Slaughter
[12:05] ---
in the darkness
where the sun doesn't shine.
[12:09] ---
That said, he's not someone
I can become friendly with, that he isn't.
[12:13] ---
Right!
[12:14] ---
Of course not!
[12:15] ---
I hate him!
[12:20] ---
Oh, my, Mr. Fujita. So filthy!
[12:22] ---
Excuse me.
[12:24] ---
Four times.
Looks like I have gathered much hatred.
[12:28] ---
Ah, well. It is the destiny
Of the Shinsengumi to be hated in any era.
[12:34] ---
MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[12:35] ---
Now...
[12:36] ---
what's your move, Battosai?
[12:43] ---
I will head right now
to go see Sir Okubo, that I will.
[12:48] ---
Why? If I recall,
he said he would come over.
[12:51] ---
Sir Okubo is quite a busy man, that he is.
[12:55] ---
- Besides—
- There you are.
[12:57] ---
Good morning, Ken-san.
[12:59] ---
Today is the day
you're going to give your answer.
[13:02] ---
It's been on my mind, so I came here.
[13:04] ---
I thank you for that. But I am about
to head out right now, that I am.
[13:09] ---
Huh?
[13:10] ---
Do you know where Okubo's mansion is?
[13:12] ---
No. But I did hear
that he was headed for Dajokan in Akasaka,
[13:17] ---
so I will likely bump into him if I headed
over to the Kioizaka area, that I should.
[13:20] ---
Then we should go, too—
[13:22] ---
No, this will likely be
a very complicated conversation,
[13:25] ---
so I prefer to go alone, that I do.
[13:30] ---
It's okay.
[13:31] ---
Kenshin won't leave you behind
and run off to Kyoto.
[13:35] ---
That's right. There's no way he'd lend
a hand to assassination after all this.
[13:39] ---
I'll never let him go.
[13:45] ---
Kenshin...
[13:52] ---
Will Himura actually
perform an action for us?
[13:57] ---
No, I need him to,
no matter what the cost.
[14:03] ---
If Himura doesn't act,
this country will fall to ruin.
[14:09] ---
The fate of this nation is something a man
who is about to die need not worry about.
[14:15] ---
Wha—
[14:18] ---
A message from Mr. Shishio.
[14:21] ---
"It was quite a brilliant idea
[14:23] ---
to try sending Himura Battosai
as an assassin,
[14:26] ---
but ultimately a futile resistance.
[14:28] ---
I will take this country for myself,"
so he says.
[14:37] ---
I am a samurai from Ishikawa,
Ichiro Shimada!
[14:40] ---
Likewise, Tsurahide Cho!
[14:42] ---
Hateful villain Okubo, brace yourself!
[14:47] ---
Okubo!
[14:49] ---
H-He's been murdered.
[14:53] ---
Who would do this before us?
[14:55] ---
We have already sent
the vindication notes of assassination
[14:58] ---
to the government and the press already.
[15:00] ---
This is just how it's gonna be.
[15:03] ---
We were the ones that killed Okubo.
[15:05] ---
Shimada!
[15:09] ---
There are no witnesses!
[15:10] ---
The seven of us killed Okubo!
[15:15] ---
Y-Yeah!
[15:18] ---
Meiji 11, May 14th.
The Kioizaka Incident.
[15:23] ---
The great case of the man
reigning at the top of Meiji
[15:26] ---
being assassinated in broad daylight
[15:28] ---
thus became the deed
of a group of assassins
[15:32] ---
with Ishiakwa samurais at the core,
[15:34] ---
and the existence of Shishio and his group
did not come out into the open.
[15:40] ---
Mr. Okubo...
[15:42] ---
It's in your best interests
to not oppose Mr. Shishio as well.
[15:53] ---
Makoto Shishio.
[15:57] ---
This is how Shishio does things!
[15:59] ---
They never come out into the open,
[16:01] ---
and until that day
where everyone riots at once,
[16:03] ---
they will gradually shave off
the power of the Meiji government!
[16:08] ---
Sir Okubo...
[16:11] ---
Excuse me.
[16:13] ---
Governor of Fukushima, Sir Yamayoshi.
[16:16] ---
He is the last person to have
a conversation with Sir Okubo.
[16:20] ---
After finishing
my business meetings in Tokyo,
[16:23] ---
I went to the Okubo mansion
for final greetings this morning.
[16:28] ---
It has already
been ten years since the Revolution.
[16:31] ---
If you ask me what I have achieved,
[16:33] ---
it's embarrassing to say,
but I have very few results.
[16:36] ---
But this is where things begin.
[16:39] ---
To solidify the foundation of a nation,
you need 30 years' worth of time.
[16:44] ---
The ten years until now
[16:45] ---
have been the first phase,
the time for establishment.
[16:48] ---
The next ten years
will be time for development.
[16:51] ---
We will tidy up internal affairs
and enrich this nation.
[16:55] ---
These are the most important times.
[16:58] ---
Though unworthy, I would like to carry out
those middle ten years at any cost.
[17:05] ---
I will leave the third and final years
of building and maintaining
[17:08] ---
to the younger generation
[17:09] ---
and at the same time set up a congress
[17:11] ---
to shift our government
into a civil government.
[17:14] ---
Japan will then be reborn
as a nation-state,
[17:18] ---
and the revolution
will reach true completion.
[17:22] ---
"Nation-state."
[17:24] ---
Nation-state, you say.
[17:26] ---
A nation where the citizens
choose their own path,
[17:30] ---
unlike the past,
where authorities decided on everything.
[17:34] ---
Way too magnificent an ideal.
[17:37] ---
But it was an ideal worth believing in.
[17:41] ---
Only if Sir Okubo
was still alive and well.
[17:45] ---
Extra! Extra!
[17:47] ---
Lord Okubo was assassinated!
Home Minister's assassination!
[17:49] ---
Extra! Extra!
[17:52] ---
Thus, the last
of the Great Trio of the Revolution
[17:54] ---
and biggest leader was lost,
[17:57] ---
and the government is left with only scum
who are unfit to serve the role.
[18:03] ---
Japan will surely stray off its tracks
from now on.
[18:08] ---
And Shishio
will never let this chance slip by.
[18:13] ---
The times are starting to flow once again.
[18:22] ---
Of all nights, tonight is when
I have an emergency patient.
[18:25] ---
I'll walk her down to the station.
[18:27] ---
Yeah. Please be careful.
[18:34] ---
Kenshin sure is late.
[18:39] ---
Kenshin!
[18:47] ---
Where's Yahiko?
[18:49] ---
Oh, um...
[18:50] ---
right, he got tired of waiting
and fell asleep.
[18:53] ---
I see.
[18:55] ---
Kenshin?
[18:57] ---
Sir Okubo was murdered this morning.
[19:00] ---
Yes. I know from the extra.
[19:04] ---
The true culprit is Shishio, that it is.
[19:08] ---
I can't leave Shishio at large like this.
[19:12] ---
I will be heading to Kyoto, that I will.
[19:19] ---
Are you going to assassinate
Makoto Shishio?
[19:22] ---
No...
[19:24] ---
but I don't know.
[19:27] ---
After coming here,
so many calming days continued...
[19:32] ---
I felt like I could really change into an
ordinary swordsman instead of a manslayer.
[19:39] ---
However, I had a realization
during my battle with Saito.
[19:43] ---
At the bottom of my heart,
[19:46] ---
there resides an insane hitokiri
who will never change his ways.
[19:52] ---
But you come back so quickly!
[19:54] ---
No matter how close you get
to being Battosai, Kenshin,
[19:56] ---
you're still Kenshin!
[19:58] ---
It was the same way
with Jine and with Saito!
[20:01] ---
You'll be fine!
[20:03] ---
It was different, that it was.
[20:06] ---
For Jine's case, I reverted to Battosai
[20:09] ---
as I wholeheartedly wanted
to save you, Miss Kaoru.
[20:11] ---
I was able to return to myself
with your voice as well.
[20:14] ---
But in Saito's case,
I had reverted sheerly to fight.
[20:20] ---
And your voice did not reach me at all.
[20:24] ---
There is a crucial difference there.
[20:28] ---
The times have started to flow again.
[20:33] ---
When we first met,
you kept me from leaving
[20:35] ---
despite knowing the fact
that I was Hitokiri Battosai.
[20:38] ---
You said, "I'm not particular
about people's pasts."
[20:44] ---
That made me really happy.
[20:50] ---
KAMIYA KASSHIN
SCHOOL OF KENDO
[20:50] ---
If I stay here any longer,
[20:52] ---
I will rope all of you into danger
at every single opportunity,
[20:56] ---
and each time,
I will return to being Battosai.
[21:01] ---
Furthermore, for government officials
and the Shisho clan,
[21:04] ---
and for everyone
across this nation
[21:06] ---
with a grudge
[21:07] ---
against
Hitokiri Battosai,
[21:08] ---
which I feel
there are many of,
[21:09] ---
I am no person other than Battosai.
[21:13] ---
I am not allowed
[21:15] ---
to remain here
any longer.
[21:22] ---
Thank you for everything.
[21:24] ---
And...
[21:26] ---
farewell.
[21:28] ---
I am a rurouni.
[21:31] ---
I will wander once again, that I will.
[21:48] ---
Ken... shin.
[21:56] ---
Kenshin!
[22:00] ---
Meiji 11, May 14th.
[22:04] ---
On this day, Kenshin Himura
returned to being a rurouni
[22:09] ---
and disappeared alone
into the pitch-black shadows.
[22:15] ---
Where did Battosai disappear to?
[22:17] ---
I'll take that Japanese katana
in lieu of money!
[22:21] ---
You decide to nonchalantly
show up after all this time.
[22:25] ---
What do you want with me?
[22:28] ---
Mr. Shishio has been expecting you.
[22:30] ---
Now, please.
[22:33] ---
So you're... Makoto Shisho, that you are?
[22:40] ---
You can at least add an honorific.
[22:42] ---
What a rude predecessor.